Saratoga County reports rise in December claims, ongoing settlements from 2021 New York State buyout fund

At a meeting of the Saratoga County Human Resource and Insurance Committee, county staff reported a rise in insurance payouts and new claims in December and described ongoing efforts to settle long-term claims using a 2021 New York State buyout fund.

Committee members heard that November payouts totaled about $168,000, down from roughly $318,000 in November 2023, while new claims in November numbered 16 versus 13 the previous year. In December, staff reported a larger payout figure and 25 new claims, up from 18 in December 2023; the committee was not given a clear, single consolidated figure for December in the transcript.

The committee was told the county closed the year with 76 open claims, compared with 45 open claims at the end of the prior year. Staff flagged multiple slips on ice at various county sites as a recurring cause of claims and said the county will focus on education and coordination with locations that manage high-foot-traffic areas, such as parking lots and other common areas.

Staff also summarized activity on the county’s New York State buyout fund. Committee members were told that in 2021 the county received $4,200,000 to settle up to 31 claims. To date, 14 claims from that fund have been settled and two were closed due to deceased claimants, producing an estimated savings of approximately $674,000; the remaining balance in the fund was reported as about $2,540,000. Staff said they will continue efforts this year, working with county staff identified as Wendy and with PMA, the county’s third-party administrator, to resolve additional long-term claims.

The report also noted the county had used about 74% of its budgeted expense by year-end compared with 87% at the same point in 2023. Committee members did not adopt additional spending at the meeting; staff described continued settlement work and internal coordination as the next steps.

Chandler, identified in the meeting as the county’s federal director, delivered the numerical summary and emphasized focusing on ice-related incidents; the committee did not request immediate policy changes during this discussion.